Rockdale Housing About Us - Rockdale Housing

Our History

Inspired by founder, Beatrice Wilson, in 1948, Rockdale is a registered social landlord and has been supporting older people in Sevenoaks for 75 years. Today it is home to over 200 residents in a range of sheltered accommodation and to residents living in our 48 bed residential care home.

Whether you opt to rent or purchase your property, or move to our residential home, you will be part of a welcoming community nestled in the centre of Sevenoaks Town. For many of our residents the knowledge that our staff are on site 24-hours a day brings peace of mind so that they can enjoy their retirement.

We are a not-for-profit charitable organisation which enables us to keep Rockdale affordable for all and any profits are invested back into the Association and not to shareholders. We are governed by a Board of Trustees which ensures that Rockdale adheres to its values and principles of providing the best, affordable housing to older people in Sevenoaks.

Originally set up by a pioneering lady of Sevenoaks, Miss Beatrice Wilson, Rockdale is steadfast in its founding principles which Miss Wilson set out over 60 years ago. Miss Wilson trained as a physiotherapist at St Guys Hospital in London and ran her own clinic on Southpark called The Vitasan.

Upon her return from service overseas during the war, whilst still operating her clinic, she raised enough money to purchase Rockdale House (now Laurie House) which she converted into a residential home for the elderly in 1953.

Miss Wilson continued to fundraise further and between 1958-1968 she was able to construct 86 apartments for independent living which our residents continue to enjoy today. She was a truly remarkable woman who has provided so many people with a beautiful home. Today, we continue her efforts by developing the site and upholding her values so that Rockdale will always be a wonderful place to live.

Our Mission and Objectives

Rockdale’s mission is to provide housing, care and other help for older people which they can afford, and which will enable them to maintain or improve their quality of life. Its objectives are:

To provide good quality homes and support services for older people which meet their changing needs. This means we will:

• provide well managed housing cost-effectively and to high standards
• consult with residents, tenants and leaseholders on the services provided
• regularly monitor, evaluate and strive to improve services
• provide efficient and responsive repair services, and make adequate provision for planned maintenance
• make the best use of our assets to maintain a sustainable community
• offer appropriate advice to services and welfare benefits.
To offer high quality residential care.

• aim to establish Rockdale House as a model of excellence in residential care
• recognise that the quality of residential care is dependent on the quality of the staff providing it, and thus place a high priority on the recruitment, training and retention of staff
To sustain and develop its charitable work.

• set aside such capacity and funding as can be afforded by the Association for the support of those who do not have the financial means to access our services
• account clearly for our charitable work through external reporting
• seek grants and donations for the support and expansion of our charitable work

Our Senior Staff

Andrew Mickleburgh

Chief Executive

Andrew’s association with Rockdale started in 2022 when he became a member of our Board Of Trustees and Chair of our Finance Committee, where he was intrinsic in creating our long-term strategy. He then briefly served as our Head of Business Transformation before being appointed to the position of Chief Executive in the summer of 2024.

Andrew has an extensive professional background in social housing, property management and finance which includes chairing a consortium that managed over 7,000 social housing homes, co-owning two care homes in Essex (where he collaborated closely with the NHS to deliver complex care needs) and serving as both Head of Public Sector Finance at a leading investment bank and as a Board Member of West Kent Housing.

As Rockdale’s Chief Executive Andrew is keen to bring “positive change to Rockdale Village without losing that intrinsic magic that makes community life here so special”. He is leading the charge to widen our services so that Rockdale can offer our residents a home no matter how their needs may change as they age. These expanded services will include nursing care at Rockdale House and bespoke, personal care for our independent-living residents in the comfort of their homes.

Bea Oliver

Interim Manager, Rockdale House & Manager, Rockdale Cares

Bea joined Rockdale in the summer of 2024. Initially she’d looked set for a life in retail, having spent twenty years as an area manager for various stores. But one evening she witnessed the poor, hurried and impersonal domiciliary care her ageing mother-in-law was receiving and was inspired to change the course of her life. The very next morning Bea handed in her notice and set herself a mission: she would provide kind care to the elderly. Her aim? To enable just one person to live independently in their own home for as long as they chose to live there. Within days she was working as a carer in Rapport Housing’s Barnes Lodge Care Home. Her mission grew, and Bea rapidly rose through the ranks to become Rapport’s Area Manager for Domiciliary Care, responsible for the care of residents over four sites across Kent.

Ten years later, a move to Rockdale has made Bea’s mission complete. Not only is she responsible for the home support and front-of-house services for Rockdale’s 200-plus independent-living residents, but she’s also overseeing the launch and management of ‘Rockdale Cares’, our brand new service offering in-flat, bespoke personal care enabling our residents to stay living independently in their treasured homes for longer. She is also the Interim Manager of Rockdale House, our residential care home.

Bea’s emphasis, as ever, is on kindness.

Claire Adams

Head Of HR & Governance

Claire joined Rockdale at the start of 2023, having worked within the HA sector for over a decade including five years at MHS Homes and three at Shepherds Bush Housing Association. She had also previously spent several years within the HR department of Barclays Bank.

“I am proud to work for Rockdale Village. There is a true community feel here and I get great pleasure from knowing that I work within a sector that makes a difference to people’s lives. I’m passionate about the positive role HR & Governance has to play in engaging and supporting our team to deliver an excellent service for our residents.”

David Asuni

Head of Finance and Resources

Our Board of Trustees

We are tremendously grateful to our Board of Trustees who work entirely on a voluntary basis and are responsible for formulating the Association’s policy and monitoring its work. Each Trustee has an impressive professional background and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our organisation.